Authorities say that a civilian employee with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. The California Highway Patrol says that they received a number of 911 calls claiming that a car was seen stopped along the Pasadena freeway Feb. 3. Officers reportedly located a car stopped in the middle of the Foothill Freeway. Law enforcement says the driver appeared to be passed out in the vehicle.

CHP officers identified the woman behind the wheel of a LA County vehicle as a civilian director for the Sheriff's Department's Community-Police Partnership. Police claim the woman was found with her head on the steering wheel and her foot on the brake pedal of the idling car.

Authorities assert that, roughly two hours after the DUI arrest, the woman blew an alcohol level reading of 0.20 percent, a level that could expose her to enhanced sentencing. The potential penalties involved in the case are significant, because news reports also suggest that the woman was previously convicted of DUI in 2009. In that proceeding, the woman was placed on probation, but news reports do not indicate whether or not she remains on paper for that incident.

Los Angeles DUI lawyers know that a second-time DUI offense carries more severe license restrictions and a potential for greater exposure to jail time than a first-time DUI offense. It is important to act quickly after a DUI arrest in California, as the law allows a limited amount of time to request a hearing with the Department of Motor Vehicles to challenge an automatic driver's license suspension.

Source: The LA Daily Breeze, "Sheriff's civilian director found in car stopped on freeway, suspected of DUI," Feb. 7, 2012